Tom Cheek tribute: The Ford Frick file

National League president Ford Frick, watching a 1939 game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the hometown Cincinnati Reds from the roof of Crosley Field, was an honourable man, just like Tom Cheek, who will, post-humously, be presented with the award named after Frick. (Diamond Images/Getty Images)

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Iconic Blue Jays broadcaster Tom Cheek takes his rightful place in the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 27 when, post-humously, he is presented with the Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in baseball broadcasting. Starting today and running through to a week from Saturday, the Sun’s Bob Elliott — who himself became a Hall of Famer at last year’s induction ceremonies — will be writing a series of columns on the late, great Tom Cheek and the memories he left for all those who tuned in to his play-by-play radio calls.

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Who is this Ford C. Frick guy, anyways?

Some famous broadcaster?

An early radio pioneer who lugged engineering equipment from one end of major-league map (New York) to the other (St. Louis)?

Did he have a connection with the Ford automakers?

No, the man whom the award for baseball broadcasting excellence is named after was much more than that.

So, before Shirley Cheek accepts the Ford C. Frick Award nine days from now during an intimate gathering in front of roughly 4,000 fans and 40 Hall of Famers at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, we thought you should know about Frick.

Jackie Robinson changed the game forever with the help of general manager Branch Rickey and Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley, by breaking the colour barrier which previously forced he, and others, to play in the Negro Leagues. Robinson signed with the Dodgers and played for triple-A Montreal in 1946.

When Robinson made the Dodgers the next year, St. Louis Cardinals players vowed never to step on to the same field as Robinson after he had classed up the majors.

At the time, Frick was the president of the National League.

Frick did not have a horse in the race, like the Dodgers who wanted to win, or like Robinson who wanted to play, or like the racists, who, well, we don’t care what they wanted.

Frick had an eight-team, 154-game schedule to play. He had to declare a winner in time for the World Series and wasn’t taking any bull from the southern crackers.

Fine, decreed Frick. Don’t want to play against the Dodgers and Robinson? Don’t. You will be suspended.

“The league will go down the line with Robinson,” Frick told the players. “If you do this, you are through and I don’t care if it wrecks the league for 10 years.

“You cannot do this because this is America.”

Complaining players played. Oh, they tried to spike Robinson and hurled names his way. But Robinson replied with a bunt single, a steal of second and third, scoring on a short fly ball to centre.

In short Frick, NL president from 1934-51 and commissioner from 1951-65, was an honourable man.

Much like the late Thomas F. Cheek.

Born in Wawaka, Ind., Frick had a varied, well-balanced background, according to his bio, teaching (Colorado high school); working in the War Department (supervising training in the rehab division for Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming); writing for newspapers (the Colorado Springs Gazette, Rocky Mountain News in Denver, the Colorado Springs Telegraph, the New York American and the New York Evening Journal) and radio (WOR in New York).

He took over for NL president John A. Heydler — the first commissioner not to have a political background.

Frick also played a role, along with Stephen Clark and Alexander Cleland, in the establishment of the Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown.

As commissioner, he oversaw two teams re-locate to the coast: the Dodgers to Los Angeles, the New York Giants to San Francisco in 1958.

He oversaw expansion adding the Los Angeles Angels and the Washington Senators, with the old Sens moving to Minneapolis in the American League in 1961 and, a year later, the Houston Astros and New York Mets were added to the NL.

He helped move baseball into an era of increased TV revenue.

As Roger Maris chased Babe Ruth’s single-season homer record in 1961, Frick ruled that Maris had to hit 61 in 154 games to eclipse Ruth’s mark. Frick never called for an asterisk, but ruled there would be two records:

One for a 154-game season. Another for a 162 games,

Frick retired in 1968 and, two years later, was elected to Cooperstown, along with Earle Combs and Jesse Haines, by the veterans committee.

Former shortstop Lou Boudreau was the only player voted into Cooperstown in 1970.

On induction day, July 27, 1970 Frick said in part:

“A lot of people question old times, question what has gone before, question past generations, and that’s their privilege. But I leave this thought to you: Without the memories of the past, there could be no dreams of greatness in the future. Without those passing yesterdays, there could possibly be no bright tomorrows.”

When he died in 1978 at age 83, the Hall of Fame established the Ford C. Frick Award presented annually for outstanding contributions to broadcasting.

Frick also said:

“As I look around and see these men who have preceded me sitting on the stand, I recognize the physical contributions they made as players when all I could do was sit and talk about baseball ... and love baseball. If those are qualifications, then I accept very happily. I am a proud man today, too.”

Thomas Cheek, former Blue Jays broadcaster and winner of the 2013 Ford C. Frick Award, could not have said it any better.

Tom Cheek tribute: The Ford Frick file

An early radio pioneer who lugged engineering equipment from one end of major-league map (New York) to the other (St. Louis)?

Did he have a connection with the Ford automakers?

No, the man whom the award for baseball broadcasting excellence is named after was much more than that.

So, before Shirley Cheek accepts the Ford C. Frick Award nine days from now during an intimate gathering in front of roughly 4,000 fans and 40 Hall of Famers at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, we thought you should know about Frick.

Jackie Robinson changed the game forever with the help of general manager Branch Rickey and Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley, by breaking the colour barrier which previously forced he, and others, to play in the Negro Leagues. Robinson signed with the Dodgers and played for triple-A Montreal in 1946.